Pints Per Day product guide
Midea Cube MAD20S1QWT 20-Pint Smart Dehumidifier
A small damp room where the unit can sit above the drain
A 20-pint Cube that nests inside its own bucket for storage. The listing states the rating is similar to 30 pints under the 2012 DOE test. It needs eight inches clear on every side and sixteen at the outlet, and it has no pump, so continuous draining means placing it above the drain.
Listing checked . Confirm the model, included parts and availability before ordering.
Published specifications
- Maker page: MAD20S1QWT, 20 pints/day, 1,500 sq ft, built-in pump: No, 1-year warranty
- Listing: 20 pints is described as similar to 30 pints under the 2012 DOE test
- Manual: 8 in clear on all sides, 16 in at the air outlet, level floor, indoor only
- Manual: working environment 41°F to 95°F; auto defrost; 3-minute compressor delay
- Manual: bucket fill levels 1.5 / 2 / 2.75 / 3 gallons, up to about 29.5 lb of water
- Maker page: 13.5 D x 13.5 W x 13.39 H in, 33.07 lb
Fit and limits
Strengths
- The listing names the older test standard, so the pint figure can be compared honestly
- Nests inside its own bucket to roughly half height for storage
- Bucketless mode, garden-hose adapter and a washable filter with a reset indicator
Caveats
- No pump: continuous draining only works with the unit above the sink or drain
- Sixteen inches of clearance at the air outlet can be hard to find in a small room
- A full bucket at the top setting is about three gallons, roughly thirty pounds to carry
A two-piece dehumidifier that nests inside its own bucket
The Midea Cube MAD20S1QWT is a 20-pint dehumidifier that separates into a machine and a bucket. In use the machine sits on top of the bucket; for storage you lift it off, press the tabs inside the bucket, rotate the machine ninety degrees and drop it in, which halves the height. Midea's own page lists it at 13.5 inches deep by 13.5 wide by 13.39 high and 33.07 pounds, with wheels, smart control, a one-year warranty and, in the same table, "Built-in Pump: No".
The Amazon listing agrees on the model and UPC (810040941528) and gives an almost identical body size, though it says 13.54 inches high and 33.3 pounds. The included-components field lists an air filter, a drain hose, a garden hose adapter stowed in the tank, the tank and a user manual.
The manual it supplies covers five Cube models, and the pump features in it are marked "some models" and apply to the 50-pint pump versions, not to this one. Midea's spec table saying "Built-in Pump: No" is the clearest statement on that point.
This listing tells you which pint standard the number comes from
Dehumidifier pint ratings changed, and most listings leave you guessing. This one does not: the first bullet says the unit collects 20 pints of water a day and adds, in brackets, "Similar to 30 PT-2012 DOE". In other words the 20-pint figure is the current rating and the same machine would have been sold as roughly a 30-pint unit under the older 2012 Department of Energy test.
Midea's product page repeats 20 pints per day and 1,500 square feet without naming a test condition. If you are cross-shopping an older model or a listing that still advertises 30 pints, that bracketed note is the line that makes the comparison like-for-like.
The Amazon title also says "Energy star". Midea's own specifications block for this model does not list an Energy Star line, so we are not treating that as confirmed; check the label on the unit or the Energy Star product finder if the certification matters to you.
Eight inches all round, sixteen at the air outlet
The installation page is specific. Put the unit on a smooth, level floor strong enough to hold it with a full bucket of water. Allow at least eight inches of air space on all sides, and at least sixteen inches at the air outlet. Keep it away from a clothes dryer, heater or radiator, and close the doors, windows and other openings to the outdoors in the room.
The manual also says to put the unit where the temperature will not fall below 41°F, because the coils can frost over at lower temperatures and performance drops. Elsewhere it gives the working environment as 41°F to 95°F (5°C to 35°C), which matches Amazon's Upper Temperature Rating field of 96°F closely enough to be the same claim. Auto Defrost cycles the compressor off automatically when frost builds on the evaporator.
It is indoor and residential only. The manual says do not use outdoors and that the unit should not be used for commercial or industrial applications. It also asks you to run it continuously for the first 24 hours.
The bucket is big, but the fill level you can actually use is smaller
Amazon's bullet advertises a 3.2-gallon, 12-litre bucket. The manual's fill-level table is the number to plan around. On the MAD20S1QWT you choose one of four trip points: 1.5 gallons (about 17 pounds of water), 2 gallons (about 21 pounds), 2.75 gallons (about 27.5 pounds) or 3 gallons (about 29.5 pounds). Three gallons is the highest setting, and at roughly thirty pounds it is a two-handed carry.
Emptying means lifting the machine off the bucket and setting it on a level surface, not on anything electrical, because the underside may be wet. Pour from a front corner: the manual warns that pouring from the back can push water out of the relief holes. If the machine is lifted off during operation the display shows Eb and it stops until you put it back or switch to bucketless mode.
Bucketless mode runs the unit with no bucket at all, and it has to be armed within three minutes of plugging in by holding the up and fill-level buttons for three seconds. A hose must be attached, the unit must be level and free of debris, and the hose must not rise above the connection point. It will not engage while the machine is sitting on the bucket.
Draining, and what the machine will not do
Continuous draining uses the included hose or a garden hose on the rear outlet. The manual's note is easy to miss and matters: when you use continuous draining, the unit has to sit above the sink or drain you are using. There is no pump on this model to lift water, so a basement floor drain at the same height as the unit will not work.
If you route a hose outdoors, the manual says not to run the unit when the outdoor temperature is at or below 32°F, because the water freezes, blocks the hose and stops the unit. When you remove a drain hose, expect a little water still in the hose and outlet, and dry the area before moving the machine.
Other useful behaviour from the manual: the compressor will not restart within three minutes of stopping, Auto Restart returns to the previous settings after a power cut except in bucketless mode, and the mode button steps between Set, Max and Continuous. In Continuous and Max the humidity setpoint cannot be adjusted.
Care, the filter light, and a recall you can check yourself
Cleaning is light but regular. Clean the grille and case with water and mild detergent, never bleach or abrasives, and vacuum or brush the intake and outlet. Clean the bucket thoroughly every few weeks with clean water and mild detergent, and do not put it in a dishwasher. Pull the filters out, wash them with clean water, dry them and refit them, then reset the change-filter indicator by holding the fan button for three seconds. The manual does not print a fixed filter interval; the indicator light is what prompts you.
Before long storage, let the unit rest for a full day so the system dries out, clean the unit, bucket and filters, tuck the cord into its channel, nest the machine inside the empty bucket and cover it. The manual warns that the bucket must be empty and the unit unplugged before nesting.
On safety history: CPSC published a recall in November 2016 of dehumidifiers made by Midea, covering 25- to 75-pint units sold under a long list of brand names including Midea's own. That recall record does not name this model, and it directs owners to type their model number into the checker it lists. If you are buying used or have an older Midea-built unit in the house, that is the check to run.
Check the current listing
Confirm the model, included parts and availability before ordering.
Primary sources
- Midea US product page and specifications for the Cube 20 pt. dehumidifier MAD20S1QWT
- Midea Cube owner's manual supplied with the Amazon listing, naming MAD20S1QWT
- CPSC recall record for dehumidifiers made by Midea, November 2016
Primary sources checked .
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